Is OkCupid Safe?

How safe is OkCupid?

OkCupid is as safe as many other popular dating applications and websites such as eHarmony.com. OkCupid is designed to make quick connections with matches in your area, while focusing on compatibility. OkCupid’s privacy depends on your personal settings, so it is your responsibility to set these once you join OkCupid.

Like many other dating websites, OkCupid’s safety is largely dependent on how diligently you can follow reasonable precautions when dealing with the people whom you communicate with and take out on dates.

Top 5 OkCupid safety tips

1. Protect your personal and financial information.

Never include your social security number, credit card information, or other banking information in your OkCupid profile, and remember that OkCupid will never ask you for this information, unless you voluntarily choose to upgrade your OkCupid account. Never give any of this information out to OkCupid users, and if you can, try to avoid providing any definitive information about your identity in your profile such as your full name, your phone number, your email address, or your home address. Only give personal information to another person on OkCupid when you are comfortable enough with them to go on a date.

2. Set your privacy settings – immediately!

As soon as you create a profile on OkCupid, you should set your privacy settings to what you are comfortable with, as this may be different than the OkCupid default. To do this, click your profile picture in the corner of the screen, and select Settings from the drop-down menu. On the left side, select Privacy from the menu, and alter any settings you find necessary. You can also consider upgrading to A-List in order to browse other profiles invisibly, if you would prefer not to notify users that you viewed their profile.

3. Research other users before meeting them.

Remember that you are always in control of your own privacy – you should never feel pressured to go on a date with another OkCupid user. Especially if it is your first time, online dating can be overwhelming, as many users are used to the online dating dynamic.

Take things at a pace that you’re comfortable with, and ask as many questions as you need to in order to feel safe before you meet another user in person. Researching the background of a potential date based on the information they have made available to you on their profile is an excellent idea, as you need to keep in mind that anyone can go online and create an account; there is no way for OkCupid to verify the age, gender, location, or any other information of a user.

If they’re honest and trustworthy, they will understand your need to feel secure, and will likely have the same concerns. If a user becomes impatient with you or is hesitant to share personal information after you’ve made a connection, you should consider slowing things down with that person and explore other options.

4. Take proper precautions when meeting an OkCupid user on a date.

When you’re finally ready to meet another OkCupid user in person, remember that you still need to exercise caution. Because it is so easy for users to be dishonest about any aspect of their online profile, there are some steps you should take prior to meeting anyone in person. In case the person of your dreams turns out to have twisted the truth on their profile, consider:

5. Report OkCupid users who behave suspiciously.

If you have the unfortunate experience of interacting with users who aren’t who they say they are, or who act in an inappropriate or offensive way, you can help prevent them from continuing to do so by reporting them to OkCupid. Consider reporting anyone who:

We’ve answered the question ‘Is OkCupid Safe?’ If you’d like more tips on how to use OkCupid safely, visit the American Federal Trade Commission’s page on dating scams here, or Techboomers’ own article on safe online dating here. In our next tutorial, we’ll review OkCupid.